Letter 195

195. To Euphronius, bishop of Colonia in Armenia.

Because Colonia, which the Lord has given to be guided under you, lies far from the travelled roads, often, even when we write to the other brethren throughout Lesser Armenia, we are slow to send a letter to your reverence, having no hope of anyone to carry it as far as those parts. But now, expecting either that you yourself will be present, or that the letter will be forwarded by the bishops to whom we have written, we both write to your reverence and greet you by letter — signifying at once that we still seem to be above the earth, and at the same time asking you to pray for us, that the Lord may lessen our afflictions, and may carry away from us, like some cloud, this great weight of grief that now lies upon our hearts. And this will come to pass if he grants a swift return to the most God-beloved bishops who are now in the dispersion, paying the penalty on behalf of true religion.